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Search Help - Arts Opportunities

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1. How do I Search for jobs and artist opportunities on this site?
2. I notice that there are a number of ways to Search for opportunities on the site. Which should I use?
3. What is the difference between Quick Search and Advanced Search?
4. The job description field uses Keywords. What are Keywords?
5. What is the best way to use Keywords?
6. What should I use for Keywords?
7. Do I need to use proper punctuation in the job description field?
8. How can I make the search engine find the exact phrase I list in the job description field?
9. Can I Search in a geographical area?
10. Can I Search by type of opportunity?
11. How is the order of the Search Results determined?
12. Why is the organization contact information not listed?
13. How do I know if the opportunities that are posted are still available?
14. When I searched for an opportunity, I was given the message, "Sorry, no opportunities were found." What went wrong?
15. What should I do if I suspect an opportunity may be fraudulent?
16. How do I find Part-time Jobs?

1. How do I Search for jobs and artist opportunities on this site?
ArtsOpportunities offers you various ways to search for employment, internships, and artist opportunities. From the homepage, you can select criteria to search and this would be the easiest and quickiest way to view the opportunties available. If you want to narrow down your search result, you can use Advanced Search, or choose one among Employment Opportunities, Internship Opportunities, or Artist Opportunities, based upon what you look for.

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2. I notice that there are a number of ways to Search for opportunities on the site. Which should I use?
ArtsOpportunities provides a variety of search methods because not all users search in the same way. That's why we have provided job seekers, interns and artists with search functionality that best suits their given task. You can search by keywords, cities and states, job type, type of arts discipline, or any combination of these criteria's. For more information select "How do I search for jobs and artist opportunities on this site?".

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3. What is the difference between Quick Search and Advanced Search?
Quick Search has limited functionality that may allow for quicker access to general search results. For search results that can be tailored to your unique needs; the Advanced Search will provide a greater number of criteria to set. Additionally, using Search Only by Employment Opportunities, Search Only by Internship Opportunities or Search Only by Artist Opportunities, will also provide more customizable search functionality.

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4. The job description field uses Keywords. What are Keywords?
Keywords are specific words or phrases that describe opportunities you would like to see. A search engine looks for these words in job postings and artist opportunities, and if it finds them, pulls up that posting for a user to review. The more keywords that are used--the more closely the opportunity will match. For example, if you type the word "Dance" into the "Job Description" field, you'll get more results back then if you typed the words "Modern Dance".

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5. What is the best way to use Keywords?
You can use any mix of upper and lower case characters; as the keyword field isn't case sensitive. Additionally, you can enclose your keyword(s) in double quotes, and the search engine will locate exact keyword matches. If you choose not to enclose your keywords in double quotes the search engine will locate words related to your keyword(s) but not the exact keyword itself. See "What should I use for keywords?" for additional definition.

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6. What should I use for Keywords?
Enter keywords into the "Job Description" field to describe jobs or artist opportunities you would like to review. Entering keywords as part of your search criteria will provide search results that are jobs/artist opportunities containing those words in their description or title. Keywords can be anything including a job title or skill; the name of an industry or company;or festival name or a location.

Here are some examples of keywords and a description of the results returned:
Event Management Only opportunities with descriptions that contain the words "event" and/or "management" in upper, lower, and mixed case, along with variations on those words such as "events"
"event management" Only opportunities with descriptions containing the exact phrase "event management," exactly as you typed it
"event management" administration Only opportunities with descriptions containing the exact phrase "event management" and the word administration


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7. Do I need to use proper punctuation in the job description field?
No. The search engine ignores punctuation marks (period, semi-colon, colon), however, if you want to increase the specificity of your search, you may use double quotes around your search phrase ("personal assistant").

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8. How can I make the search engine find the exact phrase I list in the job description field?
To use exact phrases you will need to put the phrase in double quotes, e.g. "Arts Management" See "What should I use for keywords?" for more examples.

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9. Can I Search in a geographical area?
Yes. In the "Location" dropdown box, you can select the state and specific city(s);  the whole state; more than one state; or nationwide by using "Select All".

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10. Can I Search by type of opportunity?
Yes, there are three opportunity types: employment, internship, and artist.

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11. How is the order of the Search Results determined?
For best results, ArtsOpportunities automatically presents search results in order of date posted. This means the most recent postings will be at the top of the search results list.

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12. Why is the organization contact information not listed?
ArtsOpportunities allows an organization to post confidential opportunities when the organization is hiring for a position that is still occupied.

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13. How do I know if the opportunities that are posted are still available?
Because organizations post their own opportunities, the organization decides when to take the posting down. In most cases the organization will list a "last day to apply". If no date is listed and  the posting is still on the site, then the organization is still accepting applications for the position. Note, some organizations do not accept online applications, and will provide an alternative application method, such as a fax or mailing address.

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14. When I searched for an opportunity, I was given the message, " 0 records found." What went wrong?
This message means that ArtsOpportunities does not have any opportunities that meet all of the criteria that you specified in your search. Try searching again, but this time broaden your search by entering less search criteria.

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15. What should I do if I suspect an opportunity may be fraudulent?
Because organizations post their own opportunities, we disclaim responsibility for the information listed in any postings. It is the responsibility of the user to conduct his or her own thorough investigation. Please review our Terms of Service for more details. If you feel an opportunity posted on ArtsOpportunities is fraudulent, please e-mail us. Additionally, if you feel you have been a victim of a crime by a person posing as a prospective employer or any other person who obtained your name and information from ArtsOpportunities, please contact your local authorities. You may also report fraud to the Internet Fraud Complaint Center. You can contact them by accessing their Web site at http://www.ic3.gov.

Here are some tips to help you protect yourself from becoming a victim of any fraud. We suggest the following:  

  • Be cautious providing any personal information over the phone or online to prospective employers; and never give your social security number to any prospective employer or any other party.
  • ArtsOpportunities Terms of Service prohibit job postings that require job seekers to pay any moneys prior to employment. Do not give your credit card or bank account numbers to any prospective employer for any reason and do not give credit card or bank account numbers to anyone else, without first taking steps to validate the authenticity and trustworthiness of the requester. When in doubt, don't.
  • Although employment opportunities should not require job seekers to pay any moneys prior to employment, some of the artist opportunity ads may require a submission fee, when call for artwork or papers are advertised.
  • Always exercise caution in dealing with unfamiliar parties.
  • The organization who posted the opportunity chose to display a shortened version of the job's description, or job title,  and/or did not use the same keywords you are using to describe the opportunity.
  • You didn't enclose your keyword(s) in double quotes, and the search results include variations on your keyword(s).
  • The job description contains your keyword(s), but they are not in the same context. Try using keywords that are more specific.

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    • 16. How do I find Part-time Jobs?
    Using the Search Only for Employment Opportunities you can check the type of job you are looking for, such as, part-time, temporary, contract, etc. You can also use the keyword "part-time" or "part time" in the job description field.

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